Well that isn't as simple of a question as you may think. Role Playing has grown & developed over the years to become a diverse array of activities.

At its core it is a combination of improvisational acting and cooperative storytelling. A group of players sit around a table with a single storyteller directing the story with the other participants playing characters that interact with the story & setting.

This can be anything from an intense session of plot and character development to a bunch of fiends sitting around table sharing laughs and stories.

Role playing games have diverged from this point over the years to include live action role playing (LARP) & tabletop strategy games.

Live action role playing allows player to develop their improvisation acting skills by removing the players from a table setting and allowing them to interact in real time on a dynamic stage like setting.

Tabletop strategy games may be best thought as a dynamic game of chess. These games use pieces or miniatures with varying defense moves and attack abilities to achieve a variety of goals in a wide range of settings.

Whatever the form the end result with role playing games (RPG) is a great deal of fun.

My goal with Phantasm is to provide an opportunity to Peterborough's Role Players to get together and recharge their creative batteries while sampling some of the best new games industry has to offer or take a break with an old favorite.